Category: OCC Makeup

October is a time that reminds me to be brave; to not be afraid of bold, unusual colors. Halloween is an often excuse to play with color in ways we’ve never felt comfortable doing so the rest of the year, but it also serves as a great reminder to: experiment more. play more. go outside of our comfort zone. embrace the unknown. thirst for something different. These are a few of my favorite more unique and unusual shades that I’ve come across, and I hope you’ll share your own unusual finds with me!

Illamasqua Apocalips is a vivid, medium-dark blue-teal with a matte finish. I love the unusual color, but what I love even more is that it still applies and wears fairly well. It’s definitely a show-stopping color!

Sleek Sunset Palette is a budget-friendly palette that’s top-to-bottom fantastic. No duds in the bunch; not only is this a feat for an eyeshadow palette in general, but to do so at under $15? It’s quite unusual!

Marc Jacobs Beauty Th(ink) is a bold, cool-toned violet purple with a pearly shimmer that really opens up the eye–and it is a shade that had many, many readers asking, “What are you wearing?” Purple eyeliners that can be applied with opaque, rich color are hard to come by, but Th(ink) makes a strong case for one that does.

Giorgio Armani #701 is a cool-toned, sheer bluish-purple gloss filled with blue and violet shimmer. It’s very intriguing on its own, but it can be layered over lipstick for a different look.

NARS Taj Mahal is bold, bright, but not totally over-the-top, and it’s more of a tangerine than a full-on orange with red tones, so it has more golden, yellowy undertones.

Fyrinnae Parental Advisory is a bold, bright, royal purple like I haven’t seen before. It’s so vibrant and pigmented–if you are a fiend for purple eyeshadow, it is a must-have.

OCC Jubilee is a pale, aqua-green with a blue-purple duochrome. It’s metallic, shimmering, and reflective. I love the way the color shifts as you move, as it is layered over other products, and will lean one way or another depending on what is paired with.

Illamasqua Stranger is a green-ish gold gloss with a high-shine finish, lots of metallic shimmer, and it is a shade that changes as you move.

I hope you’ll consider sharing your must-haves for October in the comments! Here’s a quickie list to get you started…

OCC Batty Nail Lacquer ($10.00 for 0.50 fl. oz.) is described as a “midnight black with silver glitter.” It’s a rich, deep black with silver micro-glitter–it looks like a blackened night sky with twinkling stars. It was nearly opaque in a single coat, but I applied two for perfectly opaque, smooth color. The consistency wasn’t too thick or too thin, so the polish flowed evenly across the nail without pooling along the edges. NARS Night Breed (LE, $19.00) has finer sparkle. L’Oreal The Queen’s Ambition (LE) has slightly finer shimmer. Illamasqua Creator (P, $17.00) is similar. Color Club Show Time (P) has finer shimmer. See comparison swatches.

See more photos & swatches!

The one color that always tugs at my heart-strings is molten gold–that really rich, warm, almost orange-toned, shade of gold. It’s deep, rich, and pure luxury to me. I have so many favorites, but here are five permanent picks from me! (But Urban Decay Honey Eyeliner will always be a shade I miss desperately.)

Autumn makes me think of the changing colors of the leaves, rain, and a lingering dampness and crispness in the air–which always makes me think of earthiness. One of my favorite earth tones is greens, and this post is inspired by them; murky, mossy, and dirty greens that are beautiful to wear.

What your favorite shade of copper to wear during autumn?

OCC Anita Lip Tar ($18.00 for 0.33 fl. oz.) is described as a “browned burgundy.” It’s a deep, dark brown with reddish-burgundy undertones; it seems more brown than burgundy to me, but it is certainly a mix of the two. It’s incredibly pigmented, and as is par for the formula, a little goes a very, very long way. It seemed slightly thinner than other Lip Tars, so it was more unforgiving during application. This shade lasted eight hours on me and continued to linger on as a stain for another two. OCC Black Metal Dahlia is lighter, more cool-toned, less brown. Urban Decay Shame is brighter, redder. MAC Soulfully Rich and MAC Prince Noir are cooler-toned. MAC Chestnut is browner, less red. OCC Black Dahlia is cooler-toned, less brown. See comparison swatches.

Sebastian Lip Tar ($18.00 for 0.33 fl. oz.) is described as a “plum-toned taupe.” It’s exactly that: a mix of gray and beige with a hint of plum. It had opaque color coverage, and again, a little went a long way. It’s certainly an interesting and more unique color (I couldn’t think of any dupes for it, though that doesn’t mean there isn’t something else like it out there–feel free to chime in with a dupe if you have one!). Sebastian wore well for seven hours but didn’t leave behind a stain (which wasn’t surprising, as it is lighter hue).

Both shades will launch at Sephora on August 27th.

P.S. — Please keep an open mind. Just because you don’t like the color(s) or don’t see the point in them, doesn’t mean someone else doesn’t. One person’s everyday color is another person’s once in a blue moon shade–and vice versa. Please be respectful when sharing your opinion. Not liking it on you is one thing, telling others they’re ugly if they wear it is quite different.